UA students' votes matter this year
Notes from Underground
Adam Roberts
Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: Opinion
You probably have noticed the campaign signs decorating campus, and I'm sure you already have received numerous invites to "Vote For Me!" Facebook groups.
The Associated Student Government Senate election begins 9 a.m. today, and you might be planning to vote for your friends as soon as you can, just to get it out of the way.
Please, don't!
For the first time in modern ASG history, we have a Senate election that actually matters. There are more candidates running than there are available seats in nearly every college.
Credit has to go to our executive staff, our Senate chair and the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, all of whom bent over backward to assist students interested in running.
I was delighted to discover most of the candidates are actually running on the issues this year. In the past, most senators didn't even bother to put a platform on their Facebook pages and won their seats by pestering more friends to vote than the other candidates did.
This year, I'm pleased to see so many candidates offer specific, concrete examples of bills they will introduce and how they will vote if elected.
None of this matters, however, if you just go out and vote for whoever has the prettiest sign or coolest name. You have until 4 p.m. Thursday to cast your ballot.
So please, take your time, read over the platforms and learn a little bit about the candidates. Depending on which college you're a member of, you can vote between two and 16 times, but don't feel obligated to use all of your votes.
Only vote for the candidates that you honestly think will help the UA. It's a secret ballot, and there's nothing morally wrong in this context with voting against your friend and lying about it.
Not everyone makes a good senator. Some of them sleep or do homework during legislative sessions and office hours. Some don't vote for any bills that the chancellor's office doesn't like. Some senators waste time with countless "Referendums to Impeach Bush & Cheney" and other resolutions that might be better suited for the national legislature.
The Associated Student Government Senate election begins 9 a.m. today, and you might be planning to vote for your friends as soon as you can, just to get it out of the way.
Please, don't!
For the first time in modern ASG history, we have a Senate election that actually matters. There are more candidates running than there are available seats in nearly every college.
Credit has to go to our executive staff, our Senate chair and the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, all of whom bent over backward to assist students interested in running.
I was delighted to discover most of the candidates are actually running on the issues this year. In the past, most senators didn't even bother to put a platform on their Facebook pages and won their seats by pestering more friends to vote than the other candidates did.
This year, I'm pleased to see so many candidates offer specific, concrete examples of bills they will introduce and how they will vote if elected.
None of this matters, however, if you just go out and vote for whoever has the prettiest sign or coolest name. You have until 4 p.m. Thursday to cast your ballot.
So please, take your time, read over the platforms and learn a little bit about the candidates. Depending on which college you're a member of, you can vote between two and 16 times, but don't feel obligated to use all of your votes.
Only vote for the candidates that you honestly think will help the UA. It's a secret ballot, and there's nothing morally wrong in this context with voting against your friend and lying about it.
Not everyone makes a good senator. Some of them sleep or do homework during legislative sessions and office hours. Some don't vote for any bills that the chancellor's office doesn't like. Some senators waste time with countless "Referendums to Impeach Bush & Cheney" and other resolutions that might be better suited for the national legislature.
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